The Lady's Marquess

 What can you expect from The Lady's Marquess?



✔️Forced proximity

✔️Transatlantic voyage

✔️ Brother's Best Friend (Or Best Friend's Sister, depending on how you look at it...)

✔️1806-Napoleonic Wars

✔️Stop the spy

✔️Discover the vandal

✔️Find the killer

✔️Happily Ever After

Tidbit Tuesday-Sailing Vessels

 What I know about ships of any kind is that if it's in a back bay or on a river, I'm probably not going to be sick. If we happen to cross into the ocean, all bets are off. There is data to back me up on this, from a cruise ship to a fishing boat, to a jet ski. Which is so unfair, I love the water and am a water sign!

Clearly sailing is not my forte.

A Sideways Look at Regency Life — All At Sea! - Liberta Books

I've done a lot of research into sailing vessels during my writing and may still take a mini-course on it. If I had to travel via packet ship, I'd never survive. Looking at those itty bitty cabins gives me claustrophobia and I'm not prone to such things.

I learned a lot of terminology while researching and this is the best site I've found for what I need. (Also, it took me until this article to learn that jetsam is things that sink and now I can sing the Little Mermaid song with slightly more understanding.)

Definition of packet ship or packet liner (thoughtco.com)

Packet boat - Wikipedia

Self-Care Monday and Meditation

The first time a friend told me she was going to a garden where they had some sort of meditation circle labyrinth, I knew it was not for me. She was going to walk this labyrinth, which wasn't even a cool maze thing, and go super slow and I wanted to scream.

That was also the first time I tried to explain that people meditated differently. Not everyone can sit in silence or with meditation music for minutes on end. I can and have but it's not my fav. Nor did I want to walk really slow around a circle and think my thoughts. I'm a Scorpio, I'm already all up in my head! But walking it several times while I focused is a definite plus.

I usually walk while listening to a 20 minute guided meditation. I'm moving, which helps me focus, and can let myself go on the treadmill where I know I won't run into anything.

What about you, what do you do?

The Lady's Marquess-Cover Reveal!

Miss Esme Conrad is tracking down the person responsible for disrupting several of her family's cargo shipments. Landon, The Most Honorable Marquess of Strachan, is searching for a French spy. The year is 1806, the ship is The Britannia, he's a titled gentleman and she's his best friend's sister. 

They have 35 days between Portsmouth and Kingston, Canada. What could possibly happen? 

Available March 15, 2023

Tidbit Tuesday-Commerce

 This is the Regency card game that eventually morphed into modern day poker. In The Lady's Marquess, Esme is a Commerce player, who relies on herself for the win rather than a partner. In the story, I don't go into much detail, but it's fascinating to learn about different games!

Commerce (card game) - Wikipedia

The best combinations are, from high to low:

1. Tricon - three of a kind being Ace best, and so on down to the 2.
2. Sequence - three cards of the same suit and sequence, being A K Q best down to 3 2 A.
3. Flush - three cards of the same suit, the highest "point" wins.
4. Pair - two similar cards, the highest pair winning.
5. Point - the greatest value of cards regardless of their suit, counting Ace 11, Courts 10 each, and numerals their face value.

In case of a tie between two or more of the players in any round, the highest Tricon wins, coming Aces first, then Kings, Queens, down to Twos. If the tie happens to be in a sequence, the highest wins, reckoning the A K Q sequence as the best and the 3 2 A sequence as the lowest. If with Flushes, the one making the best "point" wins. If Pairs, the highest wins and if two hands are alike, then the holder of the highest third card has the preference. With Point a tie is very rare, but if that does happen, the holder of the first highest card different from the opponent's wins.

Commerce (card game) - Wikipedia

Commerce Games - Game Rules Learn About Card Game Classifications

Commerce Card Game (classicgamesandpuzzles.com)

Self-Care Monday-Take a Hike

 Literally. Walking is the best form of exercise, which I'm sure you've heard a million times before. Walking in winter? Not my idea of a good time. I bought a treadmill for this, but it's boring without something to watch or listen to.

Still, I persevere, because walking does make me feel better! And it's a great way to exercise the pup, who, despite being a corgi, also isn't a fan of the winter. (Corgis are double coated specifically for the winter.)

One other thing I do in winter is walk up and down the stairs. It's a great form of exercise and helps strengthen the knees, too. 

Tidbit Tuesday-Whist

A few weeks ago, I spent a good portion of an hour figuring out how to play whist. I'm still not entirely sure. Seems a combination of Uno (you have to play the same suit if you have it) and rummy or Hi-Lo maybe. Apparently, it's the forerunner of Bridge, but I've never played that so am coming in blind.

In The Lady's Marquess, there are several scenes where Esme and Landon play the game, but since it's not the focal point of the story, I gloss over it. Also, more for my sanity! If you're interested, here's a video and a few links!

Whist Game Rules - How to Play Whist the Card Game

Whist (bicyclecards.com)

Self Care Monday-Baby Steps

 All week all I've heard is new year new you! That sounds like a lot of work I'm not interested in. Plus, there are parts of the old me I like a lot. So...new year, new baby steps!

Changing everything in the new year is, in my (not so) humble opinion hard. A recipe for burnout. Probably why most resolutions don't last beyond the month.

I started this last year when I change 1 small habit. What did I want my 2022 to look like? And why? from there I worked on small monthly or weekly changes I could make. 

For instance, I wanted to read more. But between work, writing, and life, I didn't have a lot of the time I used to, to sit and read. So I borrowed more audiobooks from my library's Libby app and listened while I walked (also a great motivator for walking!). I also listened in the car which isn't easy when you live within minutes of your job but wonderful when driving long distances. 

By upping my audio game, I listened to more titles as well as walked more since I was motivated to listen while on the treadmill. Win-Win.

What are your baby steps for this year?

New Series!

 I've talked about Kaya and Paul's children a little, but I'm excited that I have the next 5 stories planned. The Conrad Legacy: 5 children, 5 stories of love and heroism during the Napoleonic Wars.

The Lady's Marquess: Esme and Landon
The Lady's Pirate: Grayson and Adelaida
The Lady's Rogue: Yasmine and Alexander
The Lady's Risky Endeavour: Philip and Layla
The Lady's Courtship Ruse: Trevor and Savannah

Tidbit Tuesday -Canadian Fishing

Another fun tidbit in The Lady's Marquess is fishing and the transport of saltfish (cod) to not only Britain but Portugal and Spain.

Deep sea fishing rights have long been a source of contention between nations. During the Napoleonic Wars, people still had to eat, but when those nations withdrew from the saltfish trade, it gave Upper Canada the means to increase their own trade. Someone had to supply those armies!

Napoleonic Wars and the Economy

Entrance to the Harbour of St. John's, NL, ca. 1811

Napoleonic Wars and the Economy (heritage.nf.ca)

The withdrawal of warring nations from the saltfish trade gave the colony an almost complete monopoly over the lucrative industry, while rising fish prices and high catch rates saw profits soar. Britain's 1809 military alliance with Spain and Portugal also prompted both countries to grant preferential treatment to British imports, which included Newfoundland and Labrador saltfish. As wages and standards of living rose, so too did Newfoundland and Labrador's permanent population.

Napoleonic Wars and the Economy (heritage.nf.ca)

Dried and salted cod - Wikipedia

Self-Care Monday-Not Too Small

 I read a thank you email from one of the organizations I donate to on a monthly basis. What struck me was not the plea for more, but the thank you for anything you can donate.

This morning, on the 1st Monday of the new year, I want to remind you that no act of generosity is ever too small. It's the generosity itself that counts. That pay it forward mentality with no thought to whatever shoutout you might receive. 

"I send an email to every World Food Program USA donor after their donation is processed to ask a simple question, "Would you reply to this email and tell me why you gave today?"

I hear the sentiment "I wish I could do more" a lot in response to my email. I want you to know that no act of generosity is ever too small for the millions of people we serve who face the possibility of starvation this winter."